News Releases

Applied Research Laboratory contract ready for review

UH System Vice President for Research Jim Gaines announced today the release to the public of the contract for the Applied Research Laboratory(ARL), a University-Affiliated Research Center of the United States Navy. The ARL would be administratively located at the UH System, with its executive director reporting to Vice President Gaines.

The ARL would involve the sole source provision -- via "task orders" -- of UH scientists‘ expertise in astronomy, oceanography, advanced electro-optical systems, and communications systems. Task order sponsors could be the U.S. Navy, or any other federal agency, including agencies whose primary focus is not defense related matters such as the National Science Foundation and NASA. The Laboratory would be funded for three years, with an option for renewal for an additional two years, for a total of five years. It is estimated that a maximum of $10 million per year in task orders would be funded, for a total of $50 million.

The Board of Regents provisionally approved the establishment of an ARL at UH Manoa at its November, 2004 meeting, subject to adequate consultation and the negotiation of a contract. In January, 2006, the Regents conducted a special meeting on the ARL, at which they received testimony from members of the university and the community.

In February 2006, UH President David McClain recommended instead that the ARL be established at the UH System level, and that the Laboratory not perform any classified task orders during the first three years of its establishment. Should a task order become classified after being issued, UH would retain the option of terminating the task order should the research involved be classified after the task order begins.

"The ARL contract as negotiated by Vice President Gaines moves us along the path of implementing the recommendation I made 19 months ago, in February 2006," said President McClain.

The contract and other information about the ARL are at www.hawaii.edu/arl.